1Te Awa at The Base is an ambitious, large scale retail development in Te Rapa, Hamilton. The Base site combines a big retail park and outdoor dining precinct, and Te Awa, which is a more traditional shopping mall. The structures offer more than 80,000 square metres of retail space, with more under development.

This is a complex multi-stage project that started in 2003 – and Holmes Consulting has been there since the very beginning. In fact, our first design action was arguably our most important: lifting the proposed foundations out of the water table, which allowed us to greatly reduce the amount of concrete required. That single design modification saved millions of dollars.

2With a project this size, there is always evolution in the vision and requirements as things progress, requiring flexibility and creativity from project contributors – including the structural engineers. While our approach has been flexible and responsive to changing needs, we’ve also designed for adaptability in the future as customer and client needs change. The grids we’ve created are built for ease of modification, with scope to grow.

We also had a huge role to play in construction sequencing, helping ensure parts of the facility could be fully operational, while, just through a temporary wall, the next stage was charging ahead with construction. Overnight, new parts of the centre were opened – with minimal disruption to existing operations.